Gizmodo: Flash

Custom Journey MP3 Player Comes Loaded With Aging Rock

John Mahoney — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Sure, you could buy the new (yeah, new) Journey album on CD. Even iTunes. Or you could buy it preloaded on this $40 1GB flash player from ZVUE that looks like it may as well be made of black velvet. Tough call. [Product Page via Anything But iPod]

Bill Gates vs. Steve Jobs: The Lightsaber Duel

Jason Chen — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EDT

What could be greater than a lightsaber duel between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs? A lightsaber duel where YOU get to control one. We don't want to spoil the little touches of the game, so hit the jump and see for yourself. We've already said too much.

[Current]

New Star Wars Series 3 Mimobot Flash Drives Are Now Up For Pre-Order

John Mahoney — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:20:00 EDT

Mimobot, fine purveyors of geeky collectible flash drives, have introduced the next batch of Star Wars flash drives. There's an egg-headed C-3PO, Wicket, Imperial Guard and my favorite, Emperor Palpatine, who's channeling Dark Side force zaps at all times, keeping your data safe. Like the last batch they can play Star Wars sounds when you mount and unmount, if you want to go there. [mimobots via Underwire]

Japanese Scientists Extend Flash Memory Lifespan to Hundreds of Years

Kit Eaton — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 04:17:00 EDT

Scientists in Japan have worked out a new technique for improving the lifespan of flash memory devices from around a decade currently to hundreds of years. The new ferroelectric NAND flash technology can do rewrites 100 million times, versus the 10,000 or so of existing tech, and can be scaled down to 10nm—one third the size of next-gen conventional flash. Furthermore, the ferroelectric chips use a "wear leveling" system to even-out the usage of memory cells, and can even disable bad cells without killing the whole chip. Plus it uses a rewriting voltage of 6 volts versus the 20+ volts of current chips. Sounds like a promising, long-life, low-power future for solid-state drives. Though as with all these advances it'll be a good while 'til we see actual products. [VNUNet]

Sawed-Off USB Flash Drives Going on Sale

Sean Fallon — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:15:00 EDT

The sawed-off USB flash drive concept actually hit back in April, but that version was a DIY project. It was a simple hack, but if making an effort does not appeal to you, designer Windell Oskay has teamed up with Fred to produce "Hacked!" a 2GB production version of the flash drive. A price has not been determined, but it should hit the shelves soon. [Fred via Likecool]

Macally PowerLink is Flash drive, Sync Cable, Emergency Juice for iPod, iPhone

Kit Eaton — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:20:00 EDT

You know how it is: you're camping in the wild, and your iPhone suddenly runs out of juice, just as you get bored stiff with the music selection you've got aboard it. Previously you'd've had to carry a bunch of stuff around to sort this out, but Macally's PowerLink has come to the rescue. With USB plug on one end and 30-pin iPod connector on the other, it acts as a sync cable, but also has a battery inside to give you a squirt of extra power if you're in a pinch. It also packs a 2GB flash drive, but you'll need to get mp3's off that via iTunes, sadly. No info on how long the battery lasts, but as a 3-in-1 gizmo it's pretty useful. Out "soon" for $49.99. [OhGizmo]

Samsung Starts Mass Production of Cheap 128GB MLC Solid State Drives

Kit Eaton — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 04:20:06 EDT

We mentioned it back in February, and Samsung has now come good with its promise, announcing today that it's started mass-production of 128GB SSDs. They're of the slightly slower but cheaper multi-level cell technology, with a read speed of 90MBps and write speed of 70MBps. And Samsung claims they'll have a life span around "20 times longer than the generally accepted 4-5 year life span of a notebook PC hard drive." It'll be interesting to see what this move does to the price of SSDs, particularly now that we like them again. Press release below.

Seoul, Korea – July 9, 2008: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, announced today that it has begun mass producing 1.8- and 2.5-inch multi-level cell (MLC)-based solid state drives (SSD) with a 128 Gigabyte (GB) storage capacity. Mass production of the Samsung MLC-based 64GB SSD also began this month.

“With the 64 GB and 128 GB MLC SSDs, we are satisfying the density requirements of most business users and many PC enthusiasts, who will appreciate not only the performance gains and added reliability, but also the more attractive pricing,” said Jim Elliott, vice president, memory marketing, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.

Samsung SSDs feature far greater reliability, faster boot times and faster application start-up times than hard disk drives. Power consumption for the Samsung SSD is exceptionally low in standby mode at approximately 0.2 watts and in active mode at 0.5 watts.

The Samsung MLC-based SSD has a write speed of 70MB/s and a read speed of 90MB/s - performance levels that approach those of single-level-cell (SLC)-based SSDs now in mass production. Moreover, the new 128GB SSD will last approximately 20 times longer than the generally accepted 4-5 year life span of a notebook PC hard drive.

Featuring a 3.0 gigabit-per-second interface, the 128GB MLC-based SSD consists of 64 MLC NAND flash memory chips of 16 gigabits each, optimized single-chip controller technology and advanced flash-management firmware technology. Enclosed in a brushed metallic casing, it measures 100mm x 69.8mm and is only 9.5mm thick.

Samsung is aggressively expanding its SSD market offerings. It introduced a 64GB SSD in the second half of 2007, and plans to begin producing a 256GB at the end of this year. Samsung’s mass production of 128GB SSDs helps it to maintain its position as the leading producer of SSDs in the world, with capacities ranging from 32GB to the highest available today.

Samsung expects sales of SSD units to increase 800 percent between now and 2010, keeping SSDs on pace to be the largest growth segment in the NAND flash market over the next few years.

PSA: Turn Off Flash When Working on Laptop Power

Jason Chen — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EDT

Thanks to our frequent liveblogging and writing while solely on laptop power, we're always cognizant of how much CPU load we're putting on our machines. One thing we've noticed is that Flash—the thing that makes YouTube videos move and advertisements blink—puts an abnormally large load on your processor, which makes for a dramatically decreased battery life. If you're using Firefox, use Flashblock to disable Flash except for certain sites, and if you're using Safari, use Safari Stand. IE sufferers can use Toggle Flash.

iPhone Hacked to Run Flash Lite, Looks Quite Lovely

Adrian Covert — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:59:15 EDT

Belgian iPhone coder Thomas Joos posted this video up on YouTube showing his iPhone running Flash Lite. No, this isn't official or Adobe-backed in the slightest way, but rather a port of the software hacked into the iPhone OS using the two apps b.Tween and eyeGT. He only browses one site in the video, so it's hard to have too strong an opinion, but it doesn't look bad at all. And at this point, with the inability to render Flash being one of the iPhone's biggest Achilles' heels, I'll take any sense of hope I can get it. [9to5 Mac]

Adorable iPod USB Stick Will Melt Any Apple Hater's Heart

matt buchanan — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EDT

Sure, you might loathe Apple with every fiber of your Windows-running being. But look at this iPod USB stick. It's so cute. How can you hate it? It comes in 1GB and 2GB flavors for £19.95 (about $40, damn weak dollar) and £24.95 ($50). Yep, still adorable. Awwww. No? You probably hated Wall-E too. [BoysStuff via Nerd Approved]

A-DATA Turbo Series CF 350X Is the World's Fastest Compact Flash Card

Jason Chen — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:30:00 EDT

A-DATA's Turbo Series CF card is 350X, which gets you a 52MB/sec read and 47MB/sec write, and comes in 8 and 16GB sizes. It's the fastest Compact Flash card in the world, which is made out of Single-Level-Cell (SLC) flash memory, and has dual-channel support.
[A-Data]

Climb Every Mountain, Ford Every Data-Stream with USB Flash Drive Carabiner

Kit Eaton — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 06:58:00 EDT

This gizmo from Brando is a carabiner with a USB flash drive embedded in it. M'kay. Handy for... um... snapping onto your notebook case, and securing it to your climbing harness as you tackle the north face of the Eiger? Actually no, because despite supporting Windows, OS X and Linux, it won't support you: I'm sure I should be able to see a "do not use for climbing" sign on it somewhere. It's got 4GB of storage, comes in six colors and is $32. [Brando]

Sony HDR-CX12 HD AVCHD Camcorder Has Face-Recognition Technology

AddyDugdale — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 04:15:00 EDT

Sony has upgraded its HDR-CX7 flash-based camcorder to include face-recognition technology and Smile Shutter, which automatically takes a still picture as soon as the subject switches to full beam. The camera records in full HD at a resolution of 920 by 1080 pixels, and has a 10-megapixel camera for still shots. There's image stabilization, and you control the camcorder merely by tapping the 2.7-inch LCD screen. Full press release for the $900 camera, available in August, plus a bonus shot, is after the jump.

SONY INTRODUCES THE WORLD’S FIRST CAMCORDER WITH SMILE SHUTTER TECHNOLOGY

SAN DIEGO, June 18, 2008 – Sony is taking the lead in the camcorder industry by introducing the first high-definition camcorder with both Smile Shutter™ and face detection technologies.

The HDR-CX12 Memory Stick® Handycam® camcorder can record full 1920 x 1080 HD video and 10-megapixel photos on Sony Memory Stick PRO Duo™ media and any Memory Stick PRO Duo (Mark2) media cards. Roughly the size of a soda can (2.8-inches wide by 5.3-inches tall by 2.8-inches deep), this ultra-compact model will allow for easy transfer of video and stills from media cards to a compatible PC to share via email, uploading to the Internet or burning to disc.

With Sony’s unique Smile Shutter technology you can capture smiling photos and record video at the same time. When activated the technology will detect and automatically take a photo when your subject smiles - without having to switch to photo mode or press the photo button.

It also features child and adult prioritization so you can capture photos when your intended subject group smiles. This camcorder can even detect and capture a smile while in standby mode – just aim the camcorder and you’ll capture smiling moments.

“Advanced technologies such as ‘smile shutter’ make memory capture automatic so you can relax and enjoy the moment at hand,” said Kelly Davis, director of camcorder marketing at Sony Electronics. “Leveraging these key technologies across multiple product lines is another example of Sony’s commitment to anticipate consumer needs by making video capture more seamless, easy and fun.”

Advanced Features and Performance

In addition to face detection technology, the camcorder is packed with powerful features such as ClearVid® CMOS sensor with Exmor™-derived technology for stunning video detail and clarity, a BIONZ™ imaging processor, an advanced Carl Zeiss® Vario-Sonnar® T* 12x optical zoom lens and Super SteadyShot® optical image stabilization for smooth video and clear photos.

The model has a 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD Plus™ screen, Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel surround sound recording and a built-in zoom microphone to record clear dialogue. It has an assignable dial that can be customized to manually control focus, brightness and white balance.

The camcorder will ship with a supplied 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo (Mark2) media card so that you are ready to start recording almost straight out of the box. A supplied Handycam Station™ cradle makes for easy DVD creation with its One Touch Disc Burn button. Also bundled is Picture Motion Browser software to easily view, organize and store video and photos on a compatible PC.

Price and Availability

The HDR-CX12 camcorder will be in stores early August for about $900. It will be available at Sony Style® retail stores, online through www.sonystyle.com and at authorized dealers nationwide. Online pre-orders will begin on June 20th at www.sonystyle.com/handycam.

[Impress]

Adobe Getting Flash Prepped for iPhone, if Only Apple Will Allow It

Adam Frucci — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:30:00 EDT

One of the biggest things missing from the iPhone is Flash support, rendering many sites unreadable and keeping us from enjoying Flash video via Mobile Safari. It's been a feature that people have long clamored for, but due to the pissy releationship between Apple and Adobe, it hasn't happened yet. Now, Adobe says it's gotten Flash running on an iPhone Emulator, and it just needs Apple to take it and put it on the iPhone.

Yesterday, during Adobe's second quarter earnings call, chief Shantanu Narayen had this to say:

We have a version that’s working on the emulation. This is still on the computer and you know, we have to continue to move it from a test environment onto the device and continue to make it work. So we are pleased with the internal progress that we’ve made to date.

Sounds promising, no? The problem is that even when Adobe has a perfected version of mobile Flash for the iPhone, it still needs to convince Apple to allow it on the iPhone. Previously, Steve Jobs has complained that mobile Flash isn't powerful enough for the iPhone and regular Flash is too bloated.

With the iPhone 3G coming in just a few weeks, we really hope Adobe and Apple can work out some kind of agreement, because that speedy connection will make viewing streaming videos on the iPhone a joy. Let's cut the bullshit and make this happen, OK guys? [Alley Insider]

Microdia to Release ("FIRST!") 64GB CompactFlash Card

Mark Wilson — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 08:45:00 EDT

While several companies are working on a 64GB CompactFlash card, Microdia will be the first to actually bring the technology to store shelves (in Australia) this month. Dubbed the Microdia 64GB XTRA ELITE CF, the card features super fast 45MB/second read and write speeds and promises to hold somewhere around 19,000 high resolution JPEGs from a 20MP camera. No word on price yet. Read on for the full press release.

BRISBANE: Flash memory company, Microdia, launched its new business in Australia with a world-first 64 GB compact flash card shown first at PMA — the Microdia XTRA ELITE CF card has a 45 MBS data transfer rate and can store up to a claimed 19,000 photos.

Microdia founder and CEO, Louis Leung, said that it specifically chose the PMA expo in Australia to launch the new card as a demonstration of the company’s commitment to the local market as well as a showcase of its credentials.

“We have only been in Australia for a matter of weeks, and decided the best way to demonstrate our capabilities and intent to offer the world’s best flash memory products here was to launch this product at Australia’s leading professional photography trade show, PMA.”

Although a new brand to the Australian market, Leung pointed out that his company has an established track record in memory technology.

“As a new brand to Australia, but as the world’s second largest flash memory company — in terms of production capacity — with a 17 year history, globally launching the 64GB CF card in Australia at PMA will give us tremendous early momentum in this market.”

Microdia’s claim that the 64GB card can store up to 19,000 high resolution photos is based on a 20 megapixel camera taking jpeg images.

[PCAuthority and Current]

Scramble and Progression Tokyo Flash Watches Aren't Totally Confusing

Kit Eaton — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:28:00 EDT

Just a few weeks ago I showed you the Infection watch, which was very much in the vein of befuddling time display that importer Tokyo Flash has become famous for. But now there're the new Scramble and Progression watches from Nekura, and it looks like their LED-backlit LCD displays are slightly more straightforward, if still funky. You can even chose the illumination color from a choice of six, or go for multicolor changing. Those straps are in engraved stainless steel too, and are "self-adjusting" somehow. Available now for about $124. [Geek Alerts]

Ballmer Egg Attack Eulogized In Flash Game

Mark Wilson — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:48:00 EDT

Leave it to the Flash game makers of the world to treat a public egging with all the sensitivity and care of a mother kitten. While Steve Ballmer may have been attacked in Hungary, his sacrifice for Microsoft will not be forgotten. In Egg Attack!, you can play as the breakfast assassin or big Steve himself. Unfortunately, Ballmer doesn't get to fight back with his crazy tongue attack. He pretty much just gets to dodge and hide—and cry for yet another Egg McMuffin that never could be. [Egg Attack! via fakesteve]

Sony E020 Walkman Lets You Match Your MP3 Player With Your Clothes

Elaine Chow — Sat, 24 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Sony's E020 Walkman, the flash-based MP3 player for kids who like to coordinate their gadgets with their outfits, will finally hit U.S. shores in mid-June. The E020 features a colored three-line LCD screen and a built-in USB jack with drag-and-drop MP3 transfer system (no SonicStage this time around, thankfully). Its selling point is its swappable faceplate, which lets you change the music machine's style to suit your mood.

The E020 can be found in 1GB and 2GB flavors, for $69 and $79 respectively, and comes bundled with premium earphones and a handful of faceplates to get you started. Additional faceplates will be sold separately for $12 each. [Crave Asia]

Presslite Vertex Makes Photo Flash Bouncecard More Flexible

Kit Eaton — Fri, 23 May 2008 06:28:44 EDT

Watch a professional photographer closely, and you'll see they sometimes modify the light coming out of their flashgun with a bit of white card held on by elastic bands. It's a simple way of scattering the flash to give even light coverage of a subject, and this new Presslite Vertex gizmo offers a more controlled way of doing the same thing. It's got a couple of adjustable vanes that let you send the flash light in almost any direction—including forwards and backwards at the same time—as the vid clip shows.

It can scatter your flash pretty much anywhere you want it, as you can see, and this kind of control would let you get really creative with your lighting. And you can fiddle around with it using just one hand, leaving the other free to adjust your camera controls. Of course the $34.95 you'll pay for this is a lot more than the few cents the traditional blank white filing-card and rubber band would set you back, but it'll last a whole lot longer. [Presslite]

How to Better Erase an iPhone When Selling/Repairing

Jason Chen — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:30:00 EDT

We knew that refurbished iPhones have their previous owner's data on it, but how do you protect yourself when Apple won't go through the trouble of wiping phones out before passing them on? By unsyncing everything, then loading it up with music and videos until the phone is full to overwrite the old data that was there. Does this work? We thought the contacts, calendars, SMS and phone calls were stored on the OS partition, not the media partition where videos and music files go.

If you're sending in your iPhone for repairs at the Apple Store because it's broken, you might not have the option of wiping your data like this. It's not really THAT great a method either, but will be able to stop the next owner from casually recovering data. Basically, just run a restore and hope the next guy who has your phone isn't nosy. [Securosis via TUAW]

Mimobot Designer Flash Drives Grow to 8GB

matt buchanan — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:30:00 EDT

If lack of storage was the major reason you were holding off on dropping the coin for a mimobot designer flash drive (which I have a soft spot for even though the price/value ratio is slightly outside of this reality), get ready to open up your tri-fold wallet, they've just started offering 8GB drives. They're $140, about double what you'd pay for a Cruzer Contour, which has its own design premium. But they are really cute. [Mimoco]

Full-Screen Multitouch Mac OS X Is Here (But Not from Apple)

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:50:00 EDT

It's not from Apple, but it gives a pretty good idea of what to expect from them, especially knowing that only one guy—Christian Moore—got this system running at full speed on a simple Intel-based MacBook. His Lux free open framework enables true multitouch interaction in Mac OS X. In fact, he says it can work under any platform and even a web browser, enabling complex user interfaces and object manipulation comparable to Jeff Han's magic walls or the Microsoft Surface anywhere. We talked with Moore about how it works and what to expect from it.

Jesus Diaz: Tell me more about Lux. This is a framework that anybody can use, right? Under any platform?
Christian Moore: Well, yeah, is an open source framework I've been working on for experimenting with user interfaces. It's more a general framework than targeting one main deployment platform. That video is actually all AS3 running in Flash 9 over Mac OS X, but you can integrate it with any development system and platform.

JD: Why Flash?
CM: Because it's fast to prototype in. However, the software is broken into several segments. One C++ application that tracks hands that talks to Flash... WPF... or another C++ app... and basically everything you can imagine. You can enable multitouch in any environment, like Cocoa.

JD: So anyone can grab the framework and make native multitouch apps right in Mac OS X or Windows or Linux.
CM: Yeah. We have an Xcode-developed app for photo and paint coming, as well as a tracking application. But using Flash for this demo was the fastest way for us at the moment.

JD: How many people did this?
CM: I did the core system, but four people from the NUI Group contributed demos.

JD: What machine is running the demo in the video? Looks amazingly fast.
CM: Just a MacBook.

JD: And for the multitouch screen?
CM: I use a ~box from naturalui. It's ghetto tech, I know, but I developed the majority of Lux on a cardboard box. And it works great.

JD: Indeed, it looks like it works perfectly right. How does this compare to frameworks like UITouch, in the iPhone?
CM: Apple's UITouch its very, very well designed. It runs at the core level, while ours is more a free environment to develop on top... to learn about multitouch and share code.

[Lux and NUI Group]

What Went Wrong With the First TV Remotes

Wilson Rothman — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Zenith pioneered the TV remote control, but those early models were more drag than advantage. Electronic House has a full walk down remote-control memory lane, but first, here's a quick Retromodo look at Zenith's first three creative attempts—and what was tragically wrong with them:

Lazy Bones (1950) - According to Electronic House, it was the world's first commercially available TV remote control. It could only flip through channels by triggering a motorized knob. Needless to say, its secondary skill as a tripwire caused problems in the living room.

Flash-Matic (1955) - Billed as "absolutely harmless to humans," this focused flashlight could be aimed at one of four light sensors on the TV itself, in order to turn TV on or off, change channel or adjust volume. But like Gyration mice and other gestural devices of today, it was a challenge because people forgot where and how to point the thing to activate each function. Also, sunlight really played havoc with the sensors.

Space Command (1956) - A much better system than Flash-Matic and as comfortable as a pack of Benson & Hedges in the hand, the Space Command used ultrasound—ingeniously generated without batteries by plungers hitting aluminum tuning forks—to change channel, turn TV on or off, and adjust volume. It did have one problem, though: Some dogs couldn't stand the noise.

Check out EH's "A History of TV Remote Controls" for the full story. [Electronic House]

USB Poker Chips, Go "All In" with the Gambling Addiction

Mark Wilson — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:30:00 EDT

Do you love poker? Is your favorite channel ~~The Poker Channel~~ The Travel Channel? Are you wearing sunglasses right now so your co-workers can't tell if you're looking at the screen or the sticky note right beside the computer screen? Will you avoid showering for a week just to test your skin's resistance to bacteria for marathon poker sessions?

Then yeah, this 2GB poker chip flash drive is totally worth your $28. Because we both know that when you told all those stories about the "system" you used to make boatloads of cash playing online poker, you were just bluffing. [Product via OhGizmo]

Adobe Open Screen Initiative to Make Flash Suck Less on Mobiles

Jason Chen — Fri, 02 May 2008 13:20:00 EDT

Adobe's Open Screen Project, which combines such companies like Nokia, Moto, Cisco, Sony Ericsson, Verizon, Qualcomm and Marvell, aims to make Flash more like Java. Namely, they want to make sure the platform Flash runs on is consistent, meaning developers can code once instead of many times. The project will try to encompass phones, desktops, mobile internet devices (internet pads), and set top boxes.

The big steps Adobe is going to take to make this work are:

- Removing restrictions on use of the SWF and FLV/F4V specifications
- Publishing the device porting layer APIs for Adobe Flash Player
- Publishing the Adobe Flash® Cast™ protocol and the AMF protocol for robust data services
- Removing licensing fees - making next major releases of Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR for devices free

Adobe's also throwing in the AIR platform as well, which is "the next-generation RIA runtime for the desktop, supporting HTML, Ajax, Adobe Flash technology and PDF." [Adobe]

Dealzmodo: 40GB PhotoBank For $2.28

Jason Chen — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:33:10 EDT

This $2.28 deal for a 40GB PhotoBank seems too good to be true. Picture it as a 40GB portable hard drive with Compact Flash/SD/etc slots that you can dump your digital camera photos onto when the card gets full. $2.28! [PC Connection via Random Good Stuff]

Century DIY SSD Now Goes Up to 2TB (in Theory)

Kit Eaton — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:09:22 EDT

While both Intel and Samsung are promising big drops in SSD prices by the year's end for now they still cost plenty. Unless you want to take the DIY route, and use this nifty gizmo from Century which uses compact flash cards for storage. The new version now accepts CF 3x cards and can create drives between 2GB and a crazy (and impossible, for now) 2TB in size. So you could buy a pair of 32GB CF cards for around $270, add in $192.57 for the DIY drive and you'd have a 64GB SATA SSD for about $460— less than half the cost of the 64GB MacBook Air's drive. Not bad, eh? Available from May 1st. [GeekStuff4U via Akihabaranews]

Archos Updates the 605 Wi-Fi With GPS, Mobile TV and Flash Video

Sean Fallon — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:45:56 EDT

The 605 WiFi PMP was cool and all, but it has been given new life thanks to an add-on that delivers driving directions and free or paid traffic notification in addition to its normal media functions. The system is even sophisticated enough to simulate position changes in the event that a signal is lost. There is also a new Web TV and Radio plugin that will give users access more than 9,600 Web radio stations, 600 Web TV stations and 110,000 podcasts streamed live over the Internet. It will also feature full support for Adobe Flash 9 and WMV9.Update: Some new info about streaming TV and a movie deal with Paramount.

Expect a 30GB version of the 605 Wi-Fi with the GPS receiver in May for $400. If you currently own a 605 WiFi, you can pick up the navigation add-on separately for $130. The Web TV and radio plugin will also be available next month for the 605, 705 and ARCHOS TV+models as a $19.99 download. Speaking of the TV+ device, it will get a separate TVportation upgrade that will let users watch their home TV anywhere—similar to the Slingbox. TVportation will be available for $49.99 (or free if the device is registered to the Archos website). Right now, it'll work with laptops and Archos 605 and 705s, with Windows Mobile support launching soon, and Symbian shortly thereafter. As for the Flash 9 and WMV9 capability, you can enjoy that free of charge when the firmware update is released.

Finally, Archos has struck up a deal with Paramount to pre-load movies on its TV+ devices. The box still be stocked with about 50 flicks, but you've still gotta purchase them—the idea is instant VOD, not giving you free shit. They've got a total catalog of about 250 in the pipe, and they're working on deals with other content providers. Oh, and it's still all in standard def.

From the press release:

ARCHOS Introduces GPS, Mobile TV, and Flash Video for Portable Players
ARCHOS announced today several new ways to move your media from the home, to the road, in the car and beyond, with services that are unseen in any other portable media player.

Announced today at media events in New York and Paris, new ARCHOS products let you watch live TV on smartphones, laptops and ARCHOS portable devices wherever you go; stream favorite TV and radio shows from the Web for free; and help you get to where you're going with GPS navigation, and then entertain you once you arrive.

Turn Your ARCHOS Portable Media Player Into a Mobile TV
The new TVportation feature lets consumers watch their home live TV wherever they go using the ARCHOS TV+ as a streaming media server. Consumers can now watch their favorite shows live on their ARCHOS 605 and 705 WiFi portable players, smartphones, and laptops, giving them the freedom to watch TV anywhere.

Need Some Direction? ARCHOS Introduces GPS
The new ARCHOS GPS In-Car Holder turns the award-winning ARCHOS 605 WiFi portable player into a full-fledged navigation system. With more than 50 times the hard drive size, twice the screen resolution, and similar pricing as stand-alone GPS navigation products, the ARCHOS 605 GPS is the ultimate navigation and entertainment device.

Want YouTube and Web TV Shows on the Go? No problem.
For the first time, TV fans can catch up on full-length TV episodes, music videos, sporting events, news, Web TV shows, and even favorite radio stations for free on their handheld ARCHOS players. ARCHOS portable media players are the first to support Adobe Flash 9, letting consumers enjoy the millions of online video and Flash games available on the Web — from YouTube, Google Video, TV network Web sites, and more.

Paramount Opens its Movie Vault
A global relationship with Paramount Pictures brings more than 300 Paramount movies to ARCHOS portable players. Covering North America and Europe, ARCHOS will provide select Paramount movies for its handheld devices and ARCHOS TV+ WiFi digital video recorder, with Paramount movies pre-loaded for immediate playback on the TV — no download required.

[Archos and Electronista]

Bonanza Banana Flash Drive Has a Bunch of Memory (8GB, Actually)

AddyDugdale — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:05:00 EDT

When I saw this Bonanza banana, I thought of this. Eddie Murphy stuck one up a tailpipe, now you can stick a banana up your USB port—well, you can stick it wherever you like, it's Friday and we're all adults here. The fruity flash drive has an 8GB capacity, looks lovely, tastes rubbery, and is made by a firm called Hantat. [AVING via Pocket-lint]

Boing Boing Gadgets' Super Blockquote

Jason Chen — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:09:00 EDT

Boing Boing Gadgets has deemed the standard HTML blockquote insufficient to reveal the expressive power of his business English. Hence, Super Blockquote, which arms you against the marketroid oppression of Thompson's prose.

[Boing Boing Gadgets]

Adobe Media Player 1.0 Arrives, Sorta

Wilson Rothman — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:45:23 EDT

About a year after its beta launch, Adobe Media Player is in full effect, or almost. Adobe's little Flash-only scheme for making money on the internet has lined up CBS and Viacom properties MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon, plus PBS, Universal Music Group and a few others, though not all of them show up yet in the list of stuff to watch. (That tantalizing Daily Show you see in the promo pic—not available yet.) Remember, unlike other similar programs, this one lets you watch online or off. But like all the rest, it's only as good as the content it brings to the table. And its interface. And the picture quality. Any beta testers out there want to comment? We'd love to hear your impressions. [Adobe (download) via CNet]

Every Memory has a Silver Lining with USB Jewelry

Kit Eaton — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:59:32 EDT

See that little glittery thing 'round her neck? Yes, I know she's attractive... but listen: it's a 2GB USB memory stick. Yup, in sterling silver nonetheless. I mean, forget hiding a tiny memory chip on your keychain, this has got to be the way to go. For that "posh" feeling, anyway. The limited edition collection has bracelets and cufflinks for guys too, each with concealed memory with USB connector.

Hand made by designers Tonia Welter and Julia Reymann in Berlin, the entire range is customizable: for more than 2GB of memory for a start. Plus you can choose engraving, gemstone details, leather or metal chains, and a variety of metal finishes from gold through to palladium. Palladium? That's just cool.

We don't know the prices, but we suspect you'll be paying a hefty chunk for the precious metals and "limited edition" tag even before you start choosing custom options. Would be nice to own one though, wouldn't it? [ToniaWelter.de]

Super Talent 8GB Flash Drive is World's Smallest

Haroon Malik — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 05:34:00 EDT

The chaps at Super Talent are not only incredibly modest, talented and super, but they must also be fantastically tiny to have put together the world's smallest 8GB flash drive. (Flawless logic, I'm sure you'll agree.) Retailing at $35, the price is pretty reasonable, at least until you drop it into your chest hair and lose it forever.

Buying continual replacements is quickly going to create a massively expenses bill, so we say, just stick with this alternative instead. Sure, it may not be miniature and cool, but at least it's big and ugly. If that isn't a selling point, having physical characteristics in common with your flash drive should have you sold. [Oh Gizmo!]

Ballplayer's Eyesight Is On The Ball, Thanks to Flash Focus and a DS

Jack Loftus — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 21:00:00 EDT

We were just about to stuff Nintendo's Flash Focus vision game into the snake oil file when White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski revealed he actually improved his hitting through daily use of the software. Like many of the White Sox batters last year, Pierzynski stunk, and to come around he played Flash Focus in the off season. Now, one week into the 2008 schedule, the hapless catcher has two home runs, a .529 average and a team-leading seven RBIs. And just in case Pierzynski's knees give out, as catcher's knees are wont to do, we're sure he's well aware of the fact that surgeons are busy with Nintendo training of their own using the company's other hardware, the Wii. [The Chicago Sun-Times]

Adobe Knew of Vista PWN 2 OWN Hack All Along

Haroon Malik — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 15:30:00 EDT

The PWN 2OWN contest, as we all know, saw the Mac OS X weed crumble first, with Vista following soon after. Ubuntu was the only OS that was impenetrable to attack, but news is surfacing that Vista should have had a longer lifeline, if only Adobe had patched the flaw they knew about all along.

Yup, it's true; Adobe not only knew about the security flaw that Shane Macaulay used to hack Vista, they even had a patched prepared. Only thing is, they hadn't got round to releasing it. In fact, the patch was scheduled for release in the next Flash Player update later in the month.

Thankfully, Adobe were not in the dark about the security risk, however, if they were in the know, don't you guys think they have a responsibility to release the fix ASAP? Putting our systems at unnecessary risk due to our choice to support third party software just doesn't seem fair. Further, asking for system stability and security to be made a priority should be a given at all times, or so we reckon. Worse still, the defect may have cost Vista the title of impenetrable OS, and that's gonna hurt the MS fanboys dearly. After all, imagine if OS X had been the only hacked operating system; we think said fanboys may have had something to brag about, or at least a reason to punch Mr Smug Mac in his face. [Ars Technica]

FLX USB Drive Is Uncircumcised, Convenient

matt buchanan — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT

The FLX USB drive prototype, designed by Jacek Ryn, while convenient, is not actually flexible. It's got an accordion-like sheath covering it that pushes back to reveal the plug when you shove it into the USB port, and snaps back when you pull it out. Kind of like an uncircumcised, um, you know. And that cuts down on plastic materials, so it takes up less space in your pocket. Yep. [core77]

Marumi Macro Ring Light for Point & Shoot Digital Cameras Makes Your Face More Attractive

Jason Chen — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:30:00 EDT

The flash on most point and shoot cameras is harsh and makes your subjects look horrible. It's fine if you're just taking a night shot of your buddies in a bar, but when you want slightly higher quality shots for your eBay photos or your "personal collection," you need something like this Marumi Ring Light to get more uniform illumination. This way there's not just one harsh flash light spot on the person's face. It still doesn't help those people who photograph their naked junk being reflected off a teapot on eBay, other than, you know, making sure their junk is lit correctly. [Enjoy Your Camera via DVice - DSLR Version]

T Pities Fool Who Bids on Hacked Fujitsu U810 With Live Virus "Still Present"

Wilson Rothman — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:15:00 EDT

Shane Macaulay, the hacker who beat a Vista-powered Fujitsu in last week's CanSec West PWN 2 OWN contest has listed the UMPC—with virus "still likely present"—on eBay. Some say this might be Macaulay's idea of a joke, but T doesn't think it's funny when hackers joke around with exploits, especially an Adobe Flash exploit that might "affect 90 percent of computers worldwide." Mac's alleged rationale:

This laptop is a good case study for any forensics group/company/individual that wants to prove how cool they are, and a live example, not canned of what a typical incident responce sitchiation [sic] would look like.

Note: We can't spot an April 1 listing of any Fujitsu U810 on eBay. [InfoWorld]

iPhone Firmware 2.0 to Have YouTube Plugin for Safari, Says BGR

Haroon Malik — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:30:00 EDT

BGR is claiming iPhone firmware 2.0 will provide a YouTube plugin for MobileSafari.app. They aren't citing their source, but they're pretty confident in their assertion:

"You heard it here first, people! The latest version of the iPhone 2.0 firmware that was just seeded to developers has a YouTube plugin for MobileSafari.app"

BGR tends to be a solid source, but we cannot confirm this to be true without some more evidence. Nonetheless, if true, YouTube video playback from within Safari will be possible on the iPhone, without launching a separate application for the content. That sure would make surfing the web and viewing content a helluva lot easier; here's hoping BGR is bang on with this one.

Boy Genius also goes onto suggest that this may be indicative of some form of native Flash support, but we just can't raise your hopes like that. It wouldn't be right. [BGR; Thanks, Ted B. Image via Limited Edition iPhone]

Cooking Hell Kitties and Pirates: Tokidoki Mimobot Artist Series

matt buchanan — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:00:25 EDT

The latest batch of mimobot designer flash drives for Spring continue their artist series, this time fronting Italian artist Simone Legno's Tokidoki brand. There's just three in the set, but they're all pretty awesome: Pirate Nero, obviously a frickin' pirate; Pastaio, who looks like demon kitty chef; and Meletta, which has a monkey on it. They're 1, 2 and 4GB and are fast enough for ReadyBoost. As always, you're not paying for the guts ($40, $60, $100) but the candy coating, which we still think is pretty sweet. [Mimoco]